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ootball Federation Australia (FFA) is set to become ‘Football Australia’ after an overwhelming show of support following a consultation process as part of the development of the XI Principles for the future of Australian football.

FFA held an annual general meeting (AGM) earlier this week, which saw FFA members re-elect Chris Nikou to FFA’s Board of Directors, while Stefan Kamasz was elected to the board.

The AGM also saw FFA’s members approve the application by Football Coaches Australia (FCA) to become a provisional member of the FFA Congress.

Following the AGM, Nikou was installed by his fellow directors to the position of FFA chair – a role he has fulfilled since November 2018.

Nikou said despite a challenging year due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, significant progress had been made in many areas of the sport.

“In extremely difficult circumstances, throughout 2020 as a board, management, and staff, we have continued the important work of implementing the critical structural changes to our game that were agreed in 2018,” Nikou said.

“Our board has been focused on taking the necessary steps to ensure the protection, enhancement, and continued growth of our game, whilst empowering FFA’s administration to chart a new path forward.

“Increased collaboration with the game’s stakeholders has seen the development of a range of initiatives that will underpin the game’s future development.

“FFA’s commitment to working hand-in-hand with all of the game’s stakeholders to grow the game has never been stronger or more necessary,” he said.

Nikou also said he was excited to welcome the new director of the FFA, Stefan Kamasz, which he said has a very diverse group of board members.

“Finally, I would like to extend a warm welcome to new FFA director Mr Stefan Kamasz, and look forward to his contributions to a board which meets FFA’s ‘40/40/20’ gender representation principle and boasts a diversity of skills, expertise, and experience,” Nikou said.

FFA chief executive officer, James Johnson, said the organisation is excited to begin a new path following the rename of FFA to ‘Football Australia’.

“Today we took another significant step on this new journey we have embarked upon when the FFA Congress unanimously resolved to change the organisation’s name from Football Federation Australia to ‘Football Australia’,” Johnson said.

“This new name – which we will transition to over the coming months – signifies a fresh and exciting start for the game under the new strategic agenda, and a return to the roots of football in Australia,” he said.

Also revealed during the AGM, FFA’s 2020 Annual Review, which includes financial and strategic updates, showed a net deficit of $1.8 million in 2020, compared with a surplus of $0.4 million in 2019.

The result for this deficit can be pointed at the challenges the FFA faced due to the Coronavirus, which heavily impacted the FFA, including a suspension of the Hyundai A-League and uncertainty surrounding player pay cut deals for several months of the year.